Helping Hand
by LuvMira
Summary: The Armstrong's company HammerTech is very powerful with its ability to research technology more efficiently than others in the industry. There is a secret to the Armstrong family's success, something that seems to break everything as the world knows it. How will our heroine handle this secret? And can she ignore the way that Lysander Armstrong, her new boss, keeps looking at her?
1. Prologue

Stress. That's a word that many aren't prepared for when it really hits them. Funny thing is, life is full of it and yet, people aren't taught properly how to deal with stress. Some deal with it in unhealthy way; others do so by trying to be as healthy as possible.  
Decisions always have consequences, much like a water drop making contact with a larger body of liquid. Ripples form where the impact was, spreading outwards until it cannot go any further. Stress pulls that droplet down, making those ripples. But how many of the ripples will actually do any good? How many of them will have a positive outcome? How many will have a negative one?

Valeria felt the sensation of falling right before her body jerked upward, waking her from her sudden descent into unconsciousness. The noise that berated her ears only belonged to one setting that she frequented, the subway. Children, parents, and all of those around and in between seemed to be trying to out scream each other. How Val was able to nod off was beyond her.

Pulling out her phone, her eyes darted across the screen briefly to see the time. She was exhausted from staying up late the night before. Val was never great at getting sleep before a big interview. It wasn't like many could blame her, though. She was in between jobs, in the big city, with rent due in two weeks. Her funds were running low and she needed any kind of job that was willing to help her hold her own.

Things grew very quiet, just as the subway's speakers began to boom with the usual voice's announcements. Her stop was coming up and she was going to have to force her way through the crowd in order to get out. Val hated crowds. She had no idea why she moved to the big city in the first place.

 _Oh yeah_... A face that she had grown to know far too well appeared in her mind. Green eyes, brown hair, and an ego the size of the iceberg that the Titanic ran into.

Shaking away the bad memories before they tried to rear their ugly head, she stood just as the subway started to break and focused on the interview she was heading to. It was a nice office job that she wore a nice enough suit to. Hopefully, they weren't opposed to her black hair. Sure, it was tied back in a professional bun, but her mother liked to remind her that blondes tend to get more attention in those types of jobs. Val hoped that the older woman was just stereotyping... again.

Minutes passed and just Val was thinking about calling in sick already, she found herself in front of an impressive skyscraper. HammerTech was one of the fastest growing companies in the city, seeing as they had the best technological research in the local area. Seeing the massive building woke Valeria up. She was about to get the job of a lifetime. If she played her cards right, she would have enough money to buy the really nice meat at the grocery store down the street.

After wading through multiple customer service desks, Valeria found herself on the sixteenth floor. Large, glass windows surrounded all of the floors greater than four, allowing her a spectacular view... of more skyscrapers. The perks of being in the city was probably the shade the many buildings provided.

"Mr. Armstrong will see you now." The nice receptionist smiled at Valeria just as a couple of businessmen exited the office she had been "secretly" watching for the past few minutes. It was really her fault for being early, but the last time she had tried to be on time, her subway broke down and she had to walk. Yeah, you guessed it. She was late to that one and didn't get the job.

The men were in serious discussion as they were leaving. They were so serious, in fact, they didn't even notice Val as she approached the door. Bold, white letters read "Armstrong" on the glass door and she was only able to briefly read them before having to rush to grab the door handle again. Thankfully, she didn't look like a complete idiot since she grabbed it. Still, she mentally cursed the businessmen for not paying attention.

There was a small waiting room in between the office and the sixteenth floor's lobby. No light was on inside of the room, so Val could only make out the shapes of two couches and a table as she passed through it. On the other side of the room, there was another glass door. This time, there were no white letters. Instead, it looked like a holographic interface that showed where you needed to knock.

Valeria, unsure of how to work this thing, rapped lightly on the glass, only to hear bass from the inside of the office resonate in the same rhythm as her knock. That was... a little intimidating, to be honest. She, suddenly, realized that she didn't know what type of company she applied to in the first place. Rookie move, number one.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a short tune was heard. Thinking that it announced her arrival was allowed, she moved forward and looked around. Once she was inside of the office, the door swung closed behind her and another short tune was played. She now realized that the sounds were to announce that the door was open and/or closed. Still, it was better for her to step in when she did rather than wait like a rookie.

"Ms. Amell?" Valeria looked to where she heard her name. Large glass windows stared at her, this time showing her the outlook to the nearby reservoir. The cloudy day was not the best scenery, but it was better than looking at skyscrapers. Scanning a little more downward, she finally caught a glimpse of silver hair and a very impressive suit.

Just looking at the man made her subconscious whisper the words power and money into her ears. "Yes, sir," she finally answered. She probably looked like a dunce for not responding more quickly. Rookie move, number two.

"Please, have a seat." The man gestured to one of the two chairs in front of his desk. A smile pulled at the corner of his lips as he did so, allowing Val's anxiety to slowly loosen its hold on her. "Thank you," she stated before walking over to the closest chair. It was only after getting comfortable did she look at his eyes. They were a cold, green color. They weren't as inviting as his smile.

 _That's strange. I'm pretty sure that Violet said he had mix-matched eyes..._

"I have to say, Ms. Amell, I am impressed." Valeria snapped out of her train of thought as he seemed to pay her a compliment. Trying to come across as confident and also questionable, she crossed one of her legs over the other, lifted an eyebrow, and gave a slight side smile. "Oh? Impressed by what?"

Lysander smiled again as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes looking over Val in an almost appraising manner. "For one, you are quite ordinary. You could meld completely into the work force." Was he complimenting your professional suit? The black and white was always a safety choice when it came to interviews. But if he liked it... "Thank you-"

"-if I was looking for a simple office girl. But Ms. Amell, do you think I'm looking for you to just punch in numbers into a computer?" Valeria was taken aback and before she could think on how to answer this, Lysander answered for her. "I'm not. I actually requested you out of everyone else for one purpose."

Valeria noted his eyes looking over a paper on his desk, one with her name across the top. It was no doubtedly her resume. But why would he choose her specifically? For what purpose if it wasn't for a traditional job? Did she not research this enough? Rookie movie, number three.

Wait... The job ad online had asked for data entry level office job applications. It didn't ask for anything else. What else could there possibly be?

"What... purpose would that be, sir?" There's nothing better than asking when it comes to getting answers.

Lysander smiled again before making his way around to her side of the desk. It wasn't a confident, friendly smile this time. It almost seemed nervous and... apologetic. That didn't make Val feel any better about this situation.

"I need you to be my housekeeper."


	2. Chapter I: Welcome to Wonderland

"No." Valeria didn't have to think hard to know that she didn't want the job that Lysander offered her. Housekeeper? At least an office job would pay more and possibly look better on her resume in the future. But a housekeeper?

Val stood up then while grabbing the purse she had let sit on the ground near her chair. She couldn't believe that she had been handpicked by one of _the_ Armstrongs just to housekeep for him. She thought that she showed promise by working in multiple team oriented jobs. She thought that maybe, this was her way of making ends meet and more.

"Wait, Ms. Amell. You haven't heard the entire offer, just the main point." Lysander was fast, faster than Val would have expected. In what seemed like one second, the man was standing in front of her. She was certain that her face showed just how insulted she was, for he made that apologetic smile once again. "I know that it sounds a little less than appealing. That was the hard part of the deal and now, we can go into negotiations."

Valeria frowned as she heard him continue to speak, but moreso over the fact that he was a head taller than her. He looked like an average –well, maybe not average- young man when he was behind the desk. Now, he was a little intimidating in that suit of his, and she didn't want to feel pressured into any kind of choice.

"You see, your timing is impeccable. I need someone with all of your experience to help me, since I'm not looking for a maid or some cook that I never acknowledge and they flitter about like a ghost. I want someone I can talk to, get to know so that I may get to know the public a little more." Valeria grew more confused the more she listened to Lysander. Get to know the public through her? Did she look like some sort of ambassador to him? Besides, she couldn't even consider herself a great example for the people. She was struggling, at most.

Forcing herself to move around the man, she tried to walk to the door again. A small sense of pride hit her when she made it to the door without incident. That is, until she tried to pull the door open. It was locked tight against its weird mechanism. Frowning openly, she looked back to Mr. Armstrong, only to see him walking back behind his desk.

"You'd be surprised by how many people have tried to storm out of here. And with threats." Lysander was no longer smiling. His face looked a little grim now and Val found herself wondering how much he had weighing on their interview. But she wasn't a housekeeper. She needed to work.

"Okay, how about this?" Lysander glanced at his monitor, the entirely too wide, curved expanse of it. "You housekeep for me at night and in the morning, but also cover me in between as a secretary. I will be in need of one very soon. You'll get paid our regular wage for the secretary position, and also get paid for your housekeeping duties. Housekeeping will be tax free since I will be paying you directly out of my own personal funds." Business, money, business, opportunity. This man knew how to tempt a woman. Two jobs? Twice the money she was expecting? That seemed almost too good to be true.

Valeria let go of the door handle and stepped in his general direction. Her brown eyes met his green ones head on as she asked him the next question. "What's the catch?" HammerTech was big and had a lot of pull in the city. He could have gotten anyone. Why was he trying so hard to get her for the position? Was it because of her family? No, they lost their money a long time ago. Was it because of her college experience? Definitely not, since she didn't go to a well-known university. What was his game?

"There is no catch. You'll be expected to be at my home at eight in the morning, every day in order to clean, cook, and such for the day. You will be expected to arrive here as my secretary, whenever I need your services and leave when I no longer need you. A lot of my secretarial needs, though, will be mainly management. You may not need to come to the office most of the time." Lysander began to poke and prod at his monitor, now giving away that it was a large touch screen to boot. How much money was in that very room, Val wondered?

"If I need you for night preparations, I will let you know that morning. You would be expected to be off Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, unless called in otherwise. How does that sound?" Valeria looked at the man in front of her and wondered just how much of the devil resided in his soul. He knew exactly how to tempt her and knew exactly what to say to get her to agree.

Valeria moved towards his desk now, her eyes following his face to see any signs of faltering. There were none.

"Fine. You have a deal." Valeria stuck her hand out in hopes of sealing the deal more properly. This made Lysander chuckle. He took her hand in his and they firmly gripped their handshake before letting go. "I'm glad to see that you have sense, Ms. Amell. My colleague might have gone through some drastic measures to make sure you agreed otherwise."

Worry. That was exactly what she felt as she heard the door open from behind her. Turning back around, she saw a man with short black hair and unlike everyone else, without a suit.

"Valeria, meet my best friend and colleague, Castiel Winters. He will be escorting you to my home where he will run down everything that is on a need to know basis." Winters… Winters… How did Valeria know that name?

"Come on, Princess. I am waiting on an analysis to finish and I don't have all day." The man with black hair beckoned her with his hand before shaking his head at Lysander. Small amounts of grease deposits could be seen on his clothes and skin, revealing that he worked with mechanics somewhere. Great. She hoped that her suit was safe.

Smiling back at her new employer, she took that moment to glance down at the paper with her name on it. That was no resume, like she had assumed earlier. It looked like a full report on her. Why would he go through so much trouble of doing that?

"It was very nice meeting you, Ms. Amell. I will see you again in a few hours." Lysander smiled back at her before seating himself back in his nice, leather chair before Valeria made her way to the door. Castiel was waiting with the door ajar for her. Bags were under his eyes and he seemed easily frustrated. This was going to be a very fun trip with this guy.

"If only I still had my motorcycle… Watching you ladies squirm with those suit-skirt combos is always hilarious." Castiel chuckled before walking back to the first door to the office. Val followed after him, but not before hearing a few more words from Lysander's office. "Hey, Nina… Could you come into my office for a second? I need to talk to you."

After walking for half an hour with the most awkward silence, Valeria and Castiel finally made it to the parking garage below the building. She was never great at doing things quietly, especially with someone who was so intimidating. She liked to ease the tension around her, to make her feel better. Being uptight was the best way for her to make a mistake.

Her eyes darted around them, just as a hint of light glinted off of something in Castiel's left hand. At first, Valeria thought that it was the keys to whatever vehicle they were about to arrive at, but then saw something else. A solid band was wrapped around his ring finger. By how the skin seemed to be accustomed to it being there, and the few scratches on it, Valeria was certain it had been worn for a time.

"So, you're married, Castiel?" Relationships. As much as Val hated to admit it, talking about other people's connections was easier than talking about her own. She was certain that this was a way to open up conversation. That is until she noticed his eyes sink in the corners.

"Yeah…" His answer was quiet, almost reserved compared to his other remarks towards her. An exasperated sigh escaped his lips, just as his hand lifted with the keys in hand. Was he unhappy in his marriage? Wasn't being married a big deal? Or… did something happen?

 _There goes your brain again, Valeria. You always think of the worst first._ Val tried to shake off the feeling as she heard a few beeps nearby. Castiel had unlocked a car and… wow.

Valeria's eyes opened wide as she saw what she was looking at. She had expected top of the line cars, but not this. An SUV was parked in front of her with a nice sheen, black color. It wasn't luxury, but it was still pretty nice. Why did he have an SUV, though? He didn't seem the type to drive a vehicle like that.

"Ummm… you don't necessarily sound too happy about it. Everything okay back home?" Probably was too much of a personal question, but Val didn't want to seem like she was looking too into the car. Instead, she just approached it normal and entered the passenger side once Castiel had got into the driver's side.

As she buckled her seat belt, she saw something in the back. There, buckled in nice and tight, was a car seat. Castiel had a family, not just a wife. That was more than exciting!

"Awww… do you have a little one too?" Valeria's no longer felt uncomfortable as she thought of a small Castiel running around the office. She loved children and even found herself wanting to meet the little Winters.

Castiel sighed again before cranking the car up. His answer was low and reserved again, but he still answered. "We don't have one yet, but we're definitely trying. It's been a few years and we feel that it's time." Putting the vehicle into drive, he started inching his way out of the garage. "Thing is, it's so easy to make one when you don't want to. But now that we're ready and willing…" His face grew dark again before he shook his head.

"No, no. This is about me and my personal life. I'm supposed to be briefing you for the job." Val frowned, now dissatisfied that she wouldn't see a little Castiel running around. However, there was still the possibility of doing so if she worked with Lysander long enough. As his housekeeper.

 _Oh man… Why did I agree to this? The money is going to be great, but… Cleaning and cooking for a grown man that I barely know? What would my parents say?_

"Did you get that?" Val jolted back to reality once she realized that Castiel had been talking. Instead of lie and act like she did, she shook her head slowly while watching for his reaction. Obviously, it wasn't a good one. He must not like repeating himself.

"I said that every morning, you are to cook Lysander a breakfast. He has to be at the office by nine, which gives you only an hour to prepare something and to get him to eat it. You are welcome to arrive earlier for more extravagant meals, but no earlier than four." Like she would want to get there before four in the morning. "Your cleaning duties will be listed by day in a folder back at his house. For meals, try to make things healthy for him. He ingests a lot of sweets when he's working, so he needs something to balance that." Castiel made it to a red light and turned to look at Valeria briefly. "Did you get it that time?"

"Yes, sir," Val stated. Her fingers tapped away furiously on her phone so that she could record the important details. This seemed to please Castiel for he moved on with an easier tone. "You will be allowed to stay there throughout the day from hours four in the morning to one in the morning. Lys, I mean, Mr. Armstrong has stated that you are welcome to eat any food there as well. You are even allowed to use the guest library for any recreational purposes. Your secretarial office will be located there as well."

Wait… Valeria looked up then, now realizing what he just said. She was allowed to eat the same food, stay in the house herself, and even use its utilities? Was this part of the normal citizen thing or just wonderful, magnificent, more-than-just-lucky perks? She didn't realize that she was staring at Castiel with wide eyes until she saw him chuckle.

That chuckle made her heart skip a little. She wasn't sure if that intimidation returned or if she actually liked the breathy sound of it. Val was pretty certain that laugh had seduced quite a few women before he finally settled down.

"Yes, you will essentially be there majority of your time. He said it was better for you to at least make it feel like a second home rather than a pure work environment."

Before Valeria could respond, Castiel's phone started to ring. A smirk pulled at one corner of his mouth as he answered it, pressing the overly priced computer to his ear. Val took that time to look at her phone. She had a few messages awaiting a response, but she thought it rude to look at them while still trying to land a job. But she already knew who they were from. One was definitely from her mother while the other had to be from her ex-boyfriend. It was the middle of the month and like clockwork, he always came back around.

Val looked at herself in the side mirror through her window. She still didn't know why he kept trying to reach out to her. She wasn't a beauty, by any means. Sure, she had the whole "sleek, black hair" and "gray eyes" things going for her, but the rest were just… not what society liked to see with a woman. She was overweight. Shopping for clothes always reminded her of that. Thankfully, she wasn't the feared idea of "fat" where rolls had rolls upon rolls and she couldn't get up without breathing heavily. Walking up a flight of stairs still tired her out and her hips… Her hips were wide enough to knock random things over and not enough be aware of it.

Did that mean she had something in the trunk? No. Sure, there was enough to fill the area, but it wasn't large enough to get people staring. Her chest wasn't impressive in her eyes either. It was just a normal size that fit her frame… whatever that really meant. Not to mention that she was on the shorter side of things. She was five foot and three inches. Wide and short? Shopping was the worst thing she could do to herself. It only depressed her.

Looking back down at her phone, Valeria saw her texts again. They were just begging to be read. But she didn't want to ruin the mood of this job preparation more than it already had been. She just couldn't understand why her ex refused to leave her alone after so long.

"Alright, alright. Just make sure that you're eating properly. If I find out that you aren't taking care of yourself, I'll lock you out of the bedroom again."

Val looked up at that, confused and slightly offended for the receiver of that comment. Locked out of the bedroom? What kind of husband does that?

Another chuckle left his lips. "I love you too, dear. Tell Mom and Dad that I said 'hi,' okay?" The man nodded to himself before ending the phone with a sweet "talk to you later" and clicking the end call button. Castiel replaced his phone in his pocket before realizing Valeria was looking at him.

"What?"

"You lock your wife out of the bedroom? No wonder you don't have a child yet."

Castiel groaned before turning down another street, leading to what looked like a gated community. "I should have never said anything to you." Rather than enter a key code, Castiel pressed a small button located under his rearview mirror. The gate ahead started to open, making it an effortless drive for the driver as he made his way inside.

At first, Val thought that the houses would be in the back like some of the nicer communities. But she was proven wrong once she saw a giant sign that read "Armstrong" in bright, bold letters across a green landscape. _Is this all… Armstrong land?_

Castiel approached a fork in the road, but didn't falter. The right side that was clear of most vegetation led off to what looked like a massive field and mansion in the distance. They weren't heading that way, however. Instead, the car drove to the left where trees seemed to lean over the road in a shielding manner. The arch made the road more beautiful and almost mysterious. Even the dark, smooth pavement slowly dissipated into a road made of old bricks.

The area she was being led into felt like the past, in a nostalgic way. It was almost as if she was time traveling backwards from the age of computers, touch screens, and newly established holographic interfaces. Somehow, though as new as it was to her, Valeria found herself liking it.

The car slowed as it wound around a large turn and over a bridge. It was made out of the same bricks that created the path and extended the said path over a river. And just as they got off of the bridge and made another s-shaped turn, a house came into display. _Alice… you just fell down the rabbit hole._

The house was luxurious in size and beauty. The style of the house looked old, like it had been taken right out of the Victorian architecture era, but anyone with an eye could tell it was brand new. Lifted enough to allow a very solid foundation beneath it, the exterior of the building was created from what looked like mix-matched types of brick and wooden paneling. The different pointed roofs along the second floor were covered with what seemed like well-maintained, black shingles. The third, tallest roof on the on the only "fourth floor" room was round however, resembling something like a tower.

Extending from the house, was a large porch that circled the entire building in a symmetrical square with a nice, roof over hanging it as well. And the windows… The tower's room window was different from the other rectangular shapes scatter around the building. It was formed by clear glass, but in an almost stained glass way. If Valeria looked hard enough, she could see what looked like a rabbit in the center of it.

"Green" was definitely an adjective one might use if they wanted to describe the grounds outside of the house. Rose bushes circled the house, breaking only where the stairs connected stone path to porch. The main stone path started as a singular walkway but broke off into two in order to wrap around a fountain, until it met back around to make one path again. Around the path were small hedges, covered in string lights. The fountain itself was large and was tall enough to be considered two of Val. In the center was the image of a rabbit reaching for a top hat on the edge of a waterfall. Water fell slowly from the hat, adding to the current of the water already falling from the waterfall itself.

"Wow…" Valeria finally spoke again once Castiel opened her car door. He seemed to have been waiting quite a bit until finally deciding to retrieve her. "This is… This is his house?" She looked to her companion for… something. She knew this was Lysander's house. Why did she even ask?

"No. This is my house." Valeria's shock still was present enough for her not to catch the sarcasm in his tone. "Of course, it's his house. Come on. I still have to be back at the laboratory. If I don't finish in time for dinner, I'm sending my wife over here to deal with you herself." Valeria didn't have to be told twice, then, and just exited the vehicle.

Before entering, Castiel handed her a black house key. "Take this. If you lose it, you're fired. No questions asked." Valeria felt a new sense of dread as she followed after the now rushing Castiel. Fired over losing a key? Yeah, she knew it showed lack of responsibility and it _was_ his house but couldn't she just pay for new locks?

They climbed the stairs, leaving her no time to admire the scent of fresh roses, before Castiel unlocked the door and rushed the both of them inside. The quiet beeping sound then reminded Val of how important of a man she was going to be working for. A security system was definitely needed, even if he was already inside of a gated lot specifically for his family. There were enough crazies to keep people worried.

"One, one, two, five, one. Got it?" Castiel spouted out numbers to Valeria just as he used the code to shut down the security system. Not prepared, she repeated the numbers over and over before finally being able to record them into her phone. "Got it," she said triumphantly.

Lights started to flicker on in the house, illuminating what seemed like more evidence that she was no longer in her reality. She was in wonderland.


End file.
